Wärtsilä builds generators for 90 percent of the power industry in the Caribbean, doing business on 25 different islands throughout the region. Through its operation and maintenance contracts, Wärtsilä is responsible for the entire plant at many locations, which includes both the power generation equipment and the cranes needed to maintain it. Increasingly, Wärtsilä has relied on Konecranes to provide and service these cranes, developing a strong relationship with Konecranes Miami office.
“We are committed to supporting Wärtsilä in the Caribbean market,” says Rafael Ojeda, branch manager at Konecranes Miami. “Most of the cranes that Wärtsilä has installed in their customer facilities are supplied by Konecranes, typically in the 2- to 5-ton range. Virtually all of the jobs we are asked to quote are small projects in remote locations, often with significant logistical challenges. Typically, our competitors won’t touch jobs like these, but we try to look at the bigger picture and support these customers, no matter where they are.”
Ojeda says Konecranes is able to utilize its global reach to handle jobs that local providers find daunting. As a worldwide provider in the crane manufacturing and service business, customers can count on Konecranes to be a resource for the long haul.
Aqualectra, the power provider on the island of Curacao recently worked with Konecranes on a multi-phased crane renovation project. It grew out of a single call from Wärtsilä requesting an inspection on two cranes, a 1-ton Konecranes XL and a 2-ton Konecranes CXT. The equipment had been installed in 1997 when the plant was built.
Repairs were done in three phases as parts arrived. Meanwhile, Wärtsilä’s customer Aqualectra added a fourth crane to the project. They wanted to upgrade another 1997 2-ton CXT to radio controls, along with repairs to brake disks and friction plate, a limit switch and cover, and replacement of the motor coupling, upper sheaves, wire rope, and bottom block assembly.
Wärtsilä’s Account Manager, Service Sales Fernando Aguirre worked with Ojeda at Konecranes to put Aqualectra’s cranes back into top working condition. When asked about the most challenging aspect of doing business in the Caribbean, Aguirre was candid about the need to promote consistent preventive maintenance.
“According to OSHA standards in the United States, plants are required to have their cranes inspected at least once a year,” Aguirre said. “Some of our customers in the Caribbean have not been required to do that in the past, but now it is part of the service we offer in our operation and maintenance contracts. It is our job to support our customers to enjoy the value of “by the book” maintenance procedures. With proper preventive maintenance, we can help them achieve a higher level of reliability and availability for literally millions of power customers.”
According to Aguirre, one of the chief benefits of preventive maintenance is the ability to avoid long lead times for parts delivery. If parts are changed at prescribed intervals according to OEM standards for the equipment, unplanned downtime is kept to a minimum.
“If we don’t have an operations and maintenance contract, the customer is the one who decides what to do with the equipment. Their people make the decision between OEM or competitor spares. However, our customers are loyal to Wärtsilä; high quality spare parts means reliable operations and maximum plant uptime. “Similarly, we know that by going direct to Konecranes, we will get the best service, the best support, and the best OEM parts for the cranes we manage,” he continued. “We prevent a lot of headaches by avoiding third parties.”
